Report and Resolutions of Workshop 8

Report and Resolutions of Workshop 8 for the chairperson was written by:

Jose Luis Reina Palazon

Elli Peonides

Liana Sakeliou-Schultz

Eugene van Itterbeek

Discussions in workshop 8 centred around cultural identity and multicultural society. There was no consensus in the meeting about cultural identity: three opinions were encountered:

- Jean Michel Maulpoix: preferred "community" instead of identity. It was an aesthetical point of view based on "communication";

- Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke: accentuated language as a basic foundation for identity and poetry;

- Bart Verschaffel: disconnected language from culture in the way of a multicultural approach.

A crucial topic, and to be discussed in the follow-up Sixth Seminar to take place in Munich is how European artists can maintain their 'autonomy', that is, remain free from abuse by any government or ideological power. Eugene van Itterbeek proposes to write himself a prelimary note on this subject, since he feels that it is "for Munich ...a crucial question that has to be discussed in a very open atmosphere".

The following resolutions were discussed largely in Kamilari, Crete and in the workshop at the seminar in Athens as well as with members separately. There was not time enough to discuss the projects thoroughly in formal structure or procedure.

RESOLUTIONS

Preliminary considerations

The Workshop 8 on Literature, Identity and Discourse has been very concerned by the question of cultural identity, more specifically about the relationship between culture and language, as a theoretical basis in order to create a platform for new cultural actions or policies. As a conclusion of this debate, the workshop asks for an input of cultural studies in the next symposiums of the Europe of Cultures.

Concerning the cultural actions themselves, the workshop considers the actual projects as a first step toward a cultural policy for the Europe of Cultures. There is a great need for long-term structures to establish a real policy, to legitimate selections of projects and to create conditions for a continuity in cultural work. This point is especially relevant for inter-regional links and the establishment of networks for inter-regional projects.

I. The European network for the promotion of poetry, founded in Brussels and comprising centres in 13 countries of Western, Central and Eastern Europe, requests the Europe of Cultures to recommend actions to the European Union and to the national and regional governments. The network will develop these actions for the promotion of regional cultures in Europe within the framework in which the network sets up its projects, more specifically in the areas of languages, literature, and other cultural expressions, such as folklore, tourism and training.

The symposium on poetry reflecting upon the historical traditions of Crete, held at Kamilari (Crete) from 28th of May till the 2nd of June 1994, decided to present the following actions to be developed in the years to come.

1. Literary translations:

1.1 Foundation of translation workshops at Kamilari, Leuven and Sibui for poetry of the regions.

1.2 Financial aid for the translation and the bilingual publication of the following projects:

1.2.1 Dutch translation of a selection of poems by Katerina Anghelaki-Rooke.

1.2.1.1 Publication in Dutch of a selection of poems of the young Greek poetry.

1.2.1.2 Publication in Dutch of a volume of interviews about the Greek

contemporary poetry.

1.2.2 Spanish translation of an anthology of young Greek poetry.

1.2.3 Spanish translation of an anthology of contemporary Flemish and Dutch

poetry.

1.2.4 Italian translation of contemporary Dutch, Flemish and German poetry of

Belgium in the magazine Si Scrive (Cremona).

1.2.5 Dutch translation of selection of Bulgarian, Rumanian and Polish

contemporary poetry.

1.2.6 Spanish and Rumanian translation of a selection of poems of the Flemish

poets Anton Van Wilderode and Hugo Claus.

1.2.7 Dutch and Greek translation of a poetry book of Donatella Bisutti (Milan).

1.2.8 Dutch and Greek translation of a selection of poems of Jean-Michel

Maulpoix and Alain Bosquet.

2. International Poetry Meetings:

2.1 Andalusia (Alora-Malaga): meeting of poets from Andalusia, Flanders and the

Netherlands (28.XI - 3.XII.1994)

2.2 Colloquium Europe / Latin America on "Tradition and Modernity"

(Leuven, Brussel 19 - 23 Oct. 1994)

2.3 Colloquium on "Tradition and Modernity concerning the Culture of Villages"

(Sibiu, April 1995)

2.4 XVIIth European poetry festival "The Angel"

(Leuven - Milan, autumn 1995)

2.5 European Congress of poetry written in non-official languages

(Summer 1996)

2.6 First translation workshop Kamilari

(June 1995)

3. Financial aid for the publication and distribution of literary reviews and poetry in the regions of Europe through subscription, to be assumed by the respective regional administration and for the distribution in public, university and school libraries.

4. Aid to the cultural development of the "pilot" village of Kamilari in Crete (Greece). This includes:

- The restauration of the old village school building (&η(') which will serve as a cultural house.

- Setting up projects of cultural tourism and introduction to the historical and mythical traditions of the island.

- Establishment of a writer-in-residence in guest houses in villages connected to the translation seminar.

II European Book of Tales

An illustrated book which contains tales from various European regions told in the orginal language adequate for children and young readers translated, and illustrated widely with childrens' paintings, coloured photographs and short information illustrating the character of the place.

This will be accompanied by a CD or, if possible, a video tape, with the voices of children in the orginal language (e.g. a typical folk-song and the tale concisely told by a child or an adult). This book will be translated and distributed internationally in the official and non-official languages of Europe.

Practical suggestions:

Europe, according to Greek mythology, was a beautiful woman, lover of Zeus? We could call the anthology of Fairy Tales "Europe's Fairy Tales". It could open with a short tale about Lady Europe telling stories.

The book could start with something like this:

A committee sends a letter to the Unions of Writers or to the Ministries of Culture or Education of all countries of Europe asking for one Classic Fairy Tale and for one illustration made by a child. Each country runs a competition to find the best fairy tale and the best illustration.

The committee collects the material and at the same time asks all the countries involved to offer money for the publication of the whole project.

The rest, translation, printing etc. could be decided and carried out by the Committee.

III. European Festival of Music and Poetry

Step 1: A big cycle of concerts of the most relevant authors of music & poetry in Europe.

Step 2: A publication of recordings of the works in CD and a book of text

with annotations translated and distributed internationally.

The edition old include works of the 'classics' who are no longer alive nor active

(e.g. Brel, Vysotski, Alfonso etc.)

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